Iguazú

After two days acclimating in Buenos Aires, I hopped on an overnight bus to Puerto Iguazú in order to visit Iguazú Falls, straddling the border of Argentina and Brazil. After staring at a printed picture of the falls for six months in my work team´s overly-decorated conference room, I had to see them for myself. They did not disappoint.

Iguazu Falls

From Puerto Iguazú, it´s only a short bus ride to Iguazú National Park. While waiting at the bus station, I met three fellow backpackers--two Germans and an Austrian girl--that I ended up spending the day with inside the park. We hiked around for nearly seven hours, starting at the smaller falls and finishing with the main attraction, the Garganta del Diablo (Devil´s Throat).

Me with my new Deutsch-speaking friends. The sun was too bright so I tried to shield my eyes in the shade, but I just look awkward instead.

View of some of the smaller waterfalls

Everything was lush and beautiful, but the Garganta del Diablo was truly breathtaking. The force of the falling water was mesmerizing and indescribable. Pictures don´t do it justice, so I took some video to share...(hopefully this works, internet is slow here).

Beauty-wise, I preferred Iguazú to Niagara, which I visited a few years ago on a day trip from Toronto. Interesting that Niagara also lies on the border of two countries, as does Victoria Falls in Africa.

After an incredible day, I headed back to the hostel for a power nap then met up with one of my new friends, Chris, for dinner. Three courses + wine for $15. As I mentioned briefly in my last post, the food is delicious here (and cheap!)...though not exactly healthy.

I arrived back in Buenos Aires this morning and am staying at Milhouse Avenue, a notorious party hostel. We´ll see what fun stories I have to report next from BA...